The claimEvidence A · guideline-tier
The elderly can't build strength anymore
The evidence
In a study of 87-year-olds, 8 weeks of progressive strength training raised strength by 174% (Fiatarone 1994, NEJM). It has been replicated for more than 30 years.
The mechanism, in brief
Can nursing-home residents in their eighties and nineties, who struggle even to walk, still train their muscles back? Yes. That is the conclusion of a classic randomized trial.
Sources (2)
- Fiatarone, M. A., O'Neill, E. F., Ryan, N. D., Clements, K. M., Solares, G. R., Nelson, M. E., et al. (1994). Exercise training and nutritional supplementation for physical frailty in very elderly people. New England Journal of Medicine, 330(25), 1769-1775. 100 frail nursing-home residents (63 women, 37 men; mean age 87, range 72-98), 10 weeks, 94% completed. Strength rose 113% with resistance training vs 3% without; gait velocity +11.8% vs -1.0%; stair-climbing power +28.4% vs +3.6%; thigh-muscle area +2.7% vs -1.8% (P = 0.11, not significant). The multi-nutrient supplement had no effect on any primary outcome (abstract, PMID 8190152).
- Liu, C., & Latham, N. K. (2009). Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009(3), CD002759. 121 RCTs in older adults: progressive RT improves strength (SMD 0.84), gait speed, sit-to-stand, and stair climbing — across frail and healthy elderly.